Page 75 of Forgotten Fate

Elias woke me the next morning, advising the importance of starting our mountainous hike before a Monuvian scout or Rimorian soldier found us. I had woken him only three hours before sunrise, knowing he needed the rest much more than I did, and I would survive on only a few hours of sleep. He wasn’t happy about that, but it was already done.

After a light breakfast of some of the Monuvian goods we had in our packs, I checked that Elias’s sutures were still intact before we headed up Shadow Peak.

“Are you a good climber?” Elias asked as we reached the base of the mountains.

I smirked. “I have scaled the walls of Rimor Castle probably dozens of times without falling. I think I can tackle a mountain.”

“The cliff walls are much less durable than the solid stone of a castle,” Elias advised. “One wrong move, one grab of a loose rock, and you could plummet to your death.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Way to have faith in me.”

“I mean it, Aura. I can’t save you if you fall.” Slight desperation was heard in his voice.

I relaxed my shoulders, immediately wanting to ease his worries. I took his hand in mine and squeezed gently. “I’ll be careful,” I promised. Elias nodded and we turned to head up the mountain.

The first hour or two up the mountain was not that bad. We had hiked steep hills before, and it didn’t seem much different. But after that first trek, I noticed that the steep hills were becoming more vertical as time went on. Soon, the two of us were using our hands to keep heading upward, instead of just our feet. After another hour, my arms began to burn. We found a large protruding rock that was lodged into the mountain’s side, and we happily planted ourselves on top of it to catch our breath.

Well, for me to catch my breath. Even with Elias’s injury, he was barely breaking a sweat. Me on the other hand – my head was splitting. I winced as the sun shined down on us, making the pain in my head multiply.

“How is your head?” Elias asked, as if he already knew what was wrong.

“It feels like something is trying to pry it open from the inside,” I replied.

Elias scooted towards me and caressed my cheek with his hand, his fingertips creating small shockwaves that immediately dulled the pain.

“How the hell do you do that?” I asked. My eyes were closed as I let the pleasure of his touch completely take over the pain that was there only seconds before.

“Do what?” he asked, a genuine look of curiosity on his face when I opened my eyes.

“Take the pain away,” I was able to mutter.

“I…didn’t know I was,” he answered.

I tilted my head. Elias’s hand still caressed my cheek and I soaked in the pleasure. “When you touch me, I feel this energy. Like an icy hot jolt of energy, but in a good way.” It was hard to find the words to describe it. “And when you touch me, the pain in my head subsides. It’s incredible.” It felt good, finally confronting it out loud.

I swore Elias tensed for a moment, but it was brief. “I didn’t know you felt it,” he nearly whispered, my cheek still cupped in his palm.

My eyes began to widen. “Do you feel it too?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Is it normal? To have this sensation when you have feelings for someone?” I wasn’t sure how else to ask.

Elias chuckled. “No,” he said with a smile. “This is…unique.” He paused like he needed a second to think of a word for it.

“Oh.” I furrowed my brow. “Well what the heck is it then?”

I watched Elias glance away, momentarily lost in thought. A frown started to form on his lips. “Maybe it’s the gods trying to tell us something,” he said.

I pondered this for a moment. Maybe every weird thing that had happened to me lately was the gods trying to tell me something. The recurring wolf dream, and hallucinations of a wolf. The dream of my mother. Finding the book in Rimor Library.

Everyone in the Four Kingdoms had the same belief in the gods, but some worshiped them differently than others. The gods were one collective, and in Rimor, there was a ceremony once per year where Rimorians celebrated them and prayed for bountiful harvests, freedom from plague, and continuous peace. I hadn’t attended the celebration since before my mother died. My father didn’t either.After her death, there was nothing to celebrate. But Rose told me they still had it, in the center of Oreross. I was glad my people had something to look forward to each year, even if their king and princess were no longer involved.

Monuvia, as I just experienced firsthand, worshiped the gods way more frequently, with rituals and ceremonies and customs that were foreign to me. I wasn’t sure how Chatus and Sprath honored or worshiped them, but I knew there was a collective understanding that it was the gods who were responsible for our fate.

“What do you think they’re trying to say?” I asked Elias, very curious to hear his answer.

“I…” he paused. He dropped his hand and I immediately felt a cool breeze in place of the warm energy, already missing his touch. “That’s a good question,” he finished.